Golfer Newbies

It should come as no surprise that I asked for and got golf equipment for my holiday gifts. One thing I got was a new putter (see the link below). The thing that made me choose this putter was that it had a choice of lengths – 34″, 33″, and 32″. After trying the various lengths at Golf Galaxy, I chose the 32″ length which was somewhat of a surprise to me. I’m not particularly short (5′6″) but I found I had much more control over the shorter length. And the club weighting just felt right. I really didn’t think it would make much difference, but it did – at least on the practice green. I’ll be going to California this week and have a tee time at Lake Forest for Saturday at 9:30, so we’ll see how it performs then. They say it’s the short game that makes or breaks your golf score, so any improvement on that front is welcome.

See larger image Divine Line Rossie-- (Misc.) List Price: $119.99 USD New From: $119.99 In Stock

Well, given his latest mishaps, I guess any golf blog is going to have some mention of Tiger Woods. In this video, you can see yet one more way in which Tiger has “dropped the ball.”

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The following information comes from Golf Grips Direct (http://www.golfgrips-direct.com). If, after reading this article,you feel like your club grips are the wrong size you might want to check them out. They have other products and information that you may find useful as well.     “Determining the Proper Grip Size The proper grip size plays a significant role in a golfers’ ability to control the club and in turn, the ball flight. With a neutral (standard) grip size, the golfer can normally return the clubface square to the target at impact. Too large a grip can limit the players ability to release the wrists through impact causing a block of fade. Too small a grip can cause early release resulting in a pull or draw. However, the above can be used to advantage should your normal swing produce undesired shots or the fact that you have small or large hands.

A larger grip (built up, midsize or Jumbo) would benifit.. A player with large(r) hands. A player who consistently draws or hooks the ball. A player with arthritus who struggles to hold and smaller grip. A player whose fingers wrap round the grip and dig into their palm. A smaller grip (ladies, ladies built up) would benefit.. A player with small(er) hands. A player who consistently slices or fades the ball. A player who requires more clubhead ‘feel’. A player whose fingers do not fully encircle the grip.

Take the professional approach to grip sizing The professional approach to grip sizing requires the hand to be simply measured and the results matched against our chart towards the bottom of this page. The two measurements required are taken as follows. 1. Using a inch ruler/tape (because the majority of grips are produced by American companies inches are still used as a standard) measure the distance between the Dominant Wrist Crease and the tip of the longest finger. (see picture below) 2. Next measure the lenghth of the longest finger from the web to the tip. (see picture below) 3. Now refer to the chart and notes at the foot of this page

Golf Grip Sizing Chart The chart below shows the ideal grip size taken from your measurement and also how to achieve the correct size grip. Please note that this chart applies only to GolfGrips-Direct.Com’s SOLVENT BASED TAPE / GRIPS STRIPS and solvent. Sizes will differ using other manufacturers tape and/or products. 1. First of all take your first measurement (wrist crease to tip of finger) and find the block in the chart under ‘Measurement 1, your measurement falls into. 2. Then reading left to right along the chart, find the second measurement (finger web to tip). To the right of this block will read the grip size plus the total number of wraps of golfgrips-direct.com solvent based grip tape required to build up the shaft butt to acheive your recommended size grip.

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The following article comes from Business Week magazine. Follow this link and then click on the slide show arrows at the top right of the article to see all the gifts they recommend.

“Best Golf Gifts for [Golfers]: Swing, Daddy-O

By Dean Foust

For golfers, June is the month that brings both the U.S. Open and Father’s Day. So even if you aren’t a PGA tour pro, there’s a raft of hot new gear that can help you hone your game, or at least make the next round more enjoyable. Here’s a look at some of this season’s best golf gear, from a cool remote-controlled golf cart to a watch that can critique your swing and the same supersized driver Tiger Woods hits off the tee.”

From the book mentioned in the previous post – “There are more than 25,000,000 golfers in the United States alone, and the fastest growing segment among golfers is women.”

Hopefully more manufacturers will catch on and they will start creating as many golf club and accessory choices for women as they have for men.

Yesterday I was in our local thrift shop searching for treasures in the book section. I came across a copy of Carol Mann’s The 19th Hole: Favorite Golf Stories for $2.00. It is a great book with lots of fun short stories and factoids from golfers and golfer celebrities, such as:

• Mario Andretti
• Bill Bradley
• Art Buchwald
• Ben Crenshaw
• Phyllis Diller
• Gerald Ford
• Buddy Hackett
• Charlton Heston
• Bob Hop
• Hale Irwin
• Peter Jacobsen
• Jack Lemmon
• Nancy Lopez
• Dave Marr
• Anne Murray
• Jack Nicklaus
• Merlin Olsen
• Arnold Palmer
• Gary Player
• Judy Rankin
• Chi Chi Rodriguez
• Charles Schultz
• Dinah Shore
• Sam Snead
• and many others.

For instance, here’s Phyllis Diller’s brief golf story:

“My son seriously considered going to med school. He even bought a set of golf clubs. Right away he got the feeling that the reason the pro tells you to keep your head down is so you can’t see him laughing. He was a quick learner and after only three lessons he could throw his golf clubs as far as other people who’d been playing for years. He said, ‘Mother, golf has taught me that there is a connection between pain and pleasure. Golf spelled backwards is flog.’ And he says when you consider the expense of golf clubs, green fees and cart rentals, it’s hard to believe the game was invented in Scotland.”

So, I’m enjoying this book – no doubt some of the facts and stories will show up on this site from time to time in the future.

The book is out of print, but you can find used copies online. There is currently one listed on Amazon (see below).

Nineteenth Hole: Favorite Golf Stories (Hardcover) By (author) Carol Mann Used from: $7.80 In Stock

The following information comes from www.golfhelp.com – a great place to get information on all aspects of golf. I have found it a great help in getting set up for my shots.

A square setup will encourage a square impact. A square stance means the feet are parallel to the target line. Imagine railroad tracks. Your feet are touching one rail and the ball is on the other rail.	A closed stance will encourage an inside-to-outside swing path, causing a draw. An open stance may encourage an outside-to-inside swing path by giving your arms and shoulders more freedom.	Position the ball a couple of inches inside the left heel for most shots. A consistent position helps develop a repeatable swing. Playing the ball too far forward in your stance tends to open the shoulders encouraging an outside-to-inside swing, often causing a slice.

1. To reduce the problems caused by a poor setup. Many swing faults occur from an improper setup. This can cause unnecessary adjustments during the swing. Taking care to position the ball, feet, hips and shoulders properly ensures building a good swing foundation. Testing has shown golfers with open stances show no more tendency to slice than golfers with closed stances. The open stance may give the golfers a little more opportunity to slice, because it allows a little more freedom in the downswing and follow-though. The square stance is used by most successful golfers. Beginners should start with a square stance. As you advance, you can experiment with the advantages of other stances. Avoid extreme stances. Experiment to find the stance that works best for you. Take care to set up consistently on all normal shots.
2. To start with a proven ball position. Moving a golf ball even two inches forward or back in your stance can make a great deal of difference in shot consistency. Start with the ball a couple of inches inside the left heel. After you master this consistent ball position, you can experiment with other ball positions. However, a ball too far to the front of your stance will increase the chances of a slice by encouraging an outside-to-inside swing. A ball too far back in the stance will make it difficult to get the clubface closed by impact and may cause a push or a push slice.
3. To achieve the goal of hitting the ball at the bottom of the swing arc. Your drives should be hit slightly on the upswing, iron shots are struck slightly on the downswing. Fairway woods are hit at the bottom of the swing arc.

Do’s and Don’ts
Be sure to check the location of the ball with clubs aligned on the ground. Step away to check that you are positioning the ball properly. Ask someone to double-check your positioning. It is hard, without alignment tape or clubs, to visually gauge the proper placement of the ball.
written by Joe Davidson www.SimpleGolf.com

I ran across an ad today for an LPGA Golf Clinic for women – the ad says, “Learn how to make the golf club one of your most powerful business tools.” It is a one-day event sponsored by MetLife to help women both improve their golf games and learn how to use the sport as a tool for building business and business relationships. It is touring several cities from March through November in 2010. I thought about going, but the price is a little steep for me – $350. However, if you check it out at the website, you can also sign up for a free sweepstakes to win some good golf stuff. If you want to know more about it, you can go to www.lpgagolfclinics.com/win.

After I had played a couple of courses and games I wanted to have a way to keep track of my scores, progress, places played, etc. Since I have an iPhone, I thought I would check into whatever Golf Apps were available. I found a couple of really great ones. All of them are available from the iTunes App Store.

First, to track scoring and courses, I found GolfCard from Senygma, Inc. This terrific app has modules for tracking golf partners, courses, rounds played, scores, and individual play per hole. It also provides stats on your progress. And I really love the great range finder. I am thoroughly enamored with this app and am having lots of fun tracking the improvement of my golf game. They have a complete users guide at www.senygma.com/golfcard.html. This app is also available for the Google Android phone.

Another useful app I found is iGolfrules from www.golfrulesmadeeasy.com. This handy program provides sections on Stroke Play, Match Play, and a Relief Finder, all of which clearly and easily explain the sometimes complicated and arcane rules of golf. It is much easier to find things in it than trying to look it up in a book, and, since you are likely carrying your cell phone anyway, it doesn’t add any weight to your golf bag.

You’ve got to see the Tour Pro app to believe it. It provides you with a map of possible golf situations you might find yourself in, and then gives advice on strategy, clubs, stance, swing, etc. One of its best features is the video feature which provides a video demonstration of whatever stroke is being recommended – one in slow motion and one at normal speed. This app features Kevin Streelman.

So, if you have an iPhone, try it! You’ll like it! Click the iTunes link in the right sidebar to go to iTunes and purchase these apps.

This story was reported this week on CNN:

“Golf and the Loch Ness Monster: these two symbols of Scotland collided in an environmentally disastrous way this month when scientists searching for Nessie found 100,000 golf balls instead. Footage from the expedition shows numerous golf balls illuminated against the dull brown of the lake bottom.